Preview
IMSA Others
A new chapter begins at Lime Rock
Continental Tire Challenge to headline traditional Memorial Day classic
Edited: May 15, 2014, 9:35 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Sports car racing and Memorial Day Weekend have gone hand-in-hand at Lime Rock Park since 1967. That tradition continues this year when the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge will headline the weekend, running a pair of two-hour, 30-minute races for the Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) classes on Saturday, May 24 at the scenic layout in the Berkshire Hills of Connecticut.
This will be the ninth consecutive year the Continental Tire Challenge will race at Lime Rock. Massachusetts-based Turner Motorsport is a four-time GS winner, winning in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. Chris Gleason Sr. drove in three of those victories, with Bill Auberlen winning in 2006-07. In ST, CKS Autosport (formerly Georgian Bay) and Freedom Autosport are two-time winners. CKS has with local favorite Eric Curran, who won Lime Rock races with Jamie Holtom in 2006 and 2008.
Lime Rock’s Memorial Day tradition began with the original SCCA Trans-Am championship. Peter Revson won the inaugural race, with two-time winner Mark Donohue, Sam Posey and Parnelli Jones winning in subsequent years.
The IMSA GT found a home at Lime Rock beginning in 1973. Five-time winner Peter Gregg and four-time winner Al Holbert dominated the action over the next two decades as the exciting GTP Prototypes circled the 1.53-mile circuit in less than 50 seconds. P.J. Jones ultimately set the circuit’s all-time qualifying mark in 1993 – running a lap of 43.112 seconds (128.595 mph) – with All-American Racers teammate Juan Fangio II going on to win his second consecutive Lime Rock race in a Toyota Eagle MKIII.
The World Sports Cars took center stage from 1994 through 1998, with winners including Gianpiero Moretti, Wayne Taylor, Max Papis, Butch Leitzinger and James Weaver. Over the following years the weekend featured the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, NASCAR K&N East Series, Barber Dodge Pro Series and IMSA Formula BMW, with A.J. Allmendinger, Simona de Silvestro and Andy Lally among the winners.
The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series returned in 2010, when Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor began a four-year winning streak at Lime Rock for the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing team. Over the past two years, GRAND-AM moved to September for its season finale, with the SCCA Trans-Am filling the Memorial Day slot. Motorsports and Memorial Day Weekend have been linked for decades in a few different regions of the United States.
For race fans in the Northeast, the epicenter is Lime Rock Park.
IMSA
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Five questions with Ed Brown
Next article Brands Hatch and its legends await a Belgian Audi Club Team WRT more determined than ever
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
AJ Allmendinger
Winners and losers from a thrilling NASCAR Cup return to Chicagoland
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Chicago
Winners and losers from a thrilling NASCAR Cup return to Chicagoland
A.J. Allmendinger opens up on inner doubts as he reaches 500th NASCAR Cup start
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Sonoma
A.J. Allmendinger opens up on inner doubts as he reaches 500th NASCAR Cup start
Ram celebrates triple top ten and strongest showing yet in NASCAR return
NASCAR Truck
NASCAR Truck
Watkins Glen
Ram celebrates triple top ten and strongest showing yet in NASCAR return
More from
Turner Motorsport
Foley, Turner Motorsport ready to “Turn up the wick” in GTD title fight at VIR
IMSA
IMSA
Virginia
Foley, Turner Motorsport ready to “Turn up the wick” in GTD title fight at VIR
Jake Walker joins Turner Motorsport for IMSA endurance rounds
IMSA
IMSA
Petit Le Mans Road Atlanta
Jake Walker joins Turner Motorsport for IMSA endurance rounds
Forte Racing still reeling from “amazing” maiden GTD win at Petit Le Mans
IMSA
IMSA
Petit Le Mans Road Atlanta
Forte Racing still reeling from “amazing” maiden GTD win at Petit Le Mans
Latest news
Ricky Stenhouse explains his side of Michael McDowell conflict
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
3 min
Ricky Stenhouse explains his side of Michael McDowell conflict
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 1 h
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
Why NASCAR is not penalizing Stenhouse, McDowell for post-race theatrics
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
2 h
Why NASCAR is not penalizing Stenhouse, McDowell for post-race theatrics
Dale Jr. explains why he doesn't use 'Earnhardt' in his signature
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 3 h
Dale Jr. explains why he doesn't use 'Earnhardt' in his signature
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe